Auxiliary jack for oil wells



y 4, 1953 l. c. NOURSE AUXILIARY JACK FOR on. WELLS l'hwentor Git-011mg IRA C. NOURSE Filed Oct. 7, 1949 Patented July 14, 1953 AUXILIARY JACK FOR 011. WELLS Ira Guppy Nourse, Mineral Wells, Tex., assignor of one-half to Shirley Johnson, Mineral Wells,

Tex.

Application October 7, 1949, Serial N0..120,060

. 3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to oil wells, and has reference to means for raising and subsequently releasing a string of sucker rods connected with a Well pump. p

The strings of rods referred to are usually several thousand feet long, and are so heavy that special equipment is required for rasing the same after the drilling derrick has been removed. After the completion of a new well, the original derrick is moved to a new location, and thereafter special heavy' equipment, such as a small derrick mounted on a truck is brought to. the well when certain repairs are required. When the pumping apparatus fails, the well is usually inoperative for several days while the mobile derrick is being moved to the well. Such periods of inactivity are costly by reason of the loss of production during-that time. Many of the pumping failures require raising the string of sucker rods only a few inches as a part of the operation when making repairs. For example, the cable on the pump jack sometimes stretches, and must be shortened at its connection with the upper end of the polish rod. In other cases, it is necessary to jar the valve in the pump at the lower end of the string of rods so as to dislodge accumulated paraffin or debris. Both of the referred to repairs, as well as others, may be quickly and effectively carried out without the use of a derrick of any kind.

An object of the invention is to provide inexpensive lowering, or raising and dropping, a string of sucker rods within a well in carrying out the repairs referred to above.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive means, as referred to in the foregoing object, which can be permanently attached to the well casing head, and whereby said means is available at all times so as to avoid delay in production.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is an elevation of the upper end of an oil well above the earths surface, and showing the present invention connected therewith.

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevation of the invention as first illustratedin Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the clamp of the invention secured to the polish rod, and showing the hinged arrangement for detachably engaging said polish rod by means of dotted lines.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a pair of roller guides for aligning the polish rod with the stuffing box.

A typical pumping oil well, as illustrated in Figure 1, includes a casing I0 extending upwardly above the earths surface where it has a casing head assembly II mounted thereon, and a stuffing box I2 slidably receiving an upwardly extending polish rod I3 thereabove. The polish rod I3 is reciprocated by a pump jack, a part of the walking beam l4 and the horsehead I5 of which is shown in the upper part of Figure l. A cable I6 connects the head I5 with the polish rod I3. The end of the polish rod I3 below the stuffing box I2 is connected with a string of sucker rods (not shown) extending downwardly to the well pump.

An embodiment of the present invention includes a table I! mounted on and secured to the stufling box I2, and which table projects horizontally from the center of said stufiing box where it supports a hydraulic jack assembly IB. The lift I9 has a clamp 20 mounted. thereon for detachably engaging the polish rod I3 as particularly shown in Figure 3. The clamp 29 is comprised of a pair of jaws 2| and 22 hingedly mounted at corresponding ends on the lift IQ for lateral arcuate movement therearound. The hinged ends of the jaws 2| and 22 are slotted and interfitted about the diameter of the lift I9. The diameter of the lift I9 immediately above and immediately below the clamp 20 is enlarged so as to prevent longitudinal displacement of the latter. Opposing arcs 23 and 24 are formed in the jaws 2| and 22, respectively, for engaging the polish rod I3 therebet'ween. A bolt and nut assembly 25 is provided through the ends of the jaws 2| and 22opposite their hinged ends for engaging the polish rod l3. Within the scope of the present invention, several hand operated jacks may be employed for raising the jack lift I9. The preferred form of the invention contemplates the hydraulic jack assembly, referred to, which includes a cylinder 26 for operating the lift I9, a piston 21, piston rod 28 and hand lever 29. A release valve 30 is included at the lower end of the cylinder 26 for releasing and lowering the lift I9. The last described hydraulic assembly I8 is conventional, and is not, therefore, described in detail. Vertical plates 3| extending upwardly and mounted on the table I1, and on opposite sides of the polish rod l3, support shafts 32 upon which rollers 33 are mounted, also on opposite sides of the polish rod I3, for guiding the latter.

During the pumping operation of the well the jaws 2| and 22 are apart. When a failure ocours, and it becomes necessary to raise the sucker rods only a short distance, the clamps 2| and 22 are brought together around the polish rod I3 and the nut and bolt assembly 25 is tightened. By operating the hand lever 29, the lift 19 is raised, which also raises the polish rod [3. Thus, the cable It may be shortened, if required; or, the polish rod I3 may be raised and quickly released by means'of the release valve 30 to effect a jarring within the well pump for clearing debris or paraffin. The described operation avoids the cost and delay of engaging a mobile unit, and additionally lessens the loss caused by otherwise prolonged delay. l

The described form of the inventionlmay be made in many ways Within the scope of the' appended claims;

What is claimed is:

1. An auxiliary jack assembly for lifting a polish rod extending upwardly above the upper end of a Well tubing, said assembly comprising a table supported by' the'upper end ofsaid tubing and laterally extending to one side thereof, a jack including an extensible lift mounted on said table and having said lift arranged parallel with said polish rod, a pairof jaws hingedly sesupport and having said lift arranged parallel 4 with said polish rod, a pair of jaws hingedly secured to said lift for arcuate movement perpendicular to the length thereof and arranged for movement in the direction of the axis of said polish rod responsive to like movement of said lift, recesses in opposing sides of said jaws and adapted to engage said polish rod, means detachably securing said jaws on said polish rod, and means for quickly retracting said lift.

3. An auxiliary jack assembly for lifting the polish rod extending upwardly above the upper end of a Well tubing, said assembly comprising a support mounted on the upper end of said tubing and laterally extending to one side thereof, a

jack including an extensible lift mounted on said support and having said lift arranged parallel a from said lift detae-hably securing said jaws on said polish rod, and means for quickly retracting said lift.

IRA CUPPY NOURSE.

ItjeferenceslGited in at file of this patent: UNITED STATES PATENTS 

